Random Thoughts and Experiences

24 November 2017Date looks weird, eh? I've gotten kind of used to writing it this way though. Date first, month, then year. I've also started thinking about small things when I type like do I end certain words with "er" or "re" (center or centre) or do I use an "s" or a "z" (recognise or recognize)? And don't get me started on the love obsession with AMA vs APA citations I have to look up constantly. Ugh.Working as a professional in an English-speaking country with many different English influences makes me feel both like I am learning and un-learning things every day. This past year I've had to be so conscious of actions and wordings I have not only done easily but extremely well in the past decade that it makes me feel for anyone in school right now.Other than small things I have found myself self-conscious about, I have been working to adapt to the passive culture of Kiwi's. I have heard terms such as "she'll be right" but didn't really get what that meant until I started identifying it in action. "She'll be right" is, in my view, a way for someone to say, "I don't know if I did (insert action here) right, but if I didn't, we'll just carry on and fix it as we go." And, while I admire their ability to continue to work on something, I like planning something well to carry it out as close to rightly as I can initially. To those women out there that I met in the first week I was here that told me about how much this bothered them and I said it was "refreshing": I would like to officially tell you I was an idiot. You called it. It's frustrating as hell.That being said, I have started speaking up more at work and inserting concerns when I see them. But I get a lot of push-back from my co-workers that are used to doing something then responding to issues as they arise. And I would much rather be proactive instead of reactive. I've said that phrase so many times in the past month that I feel like I should patent it.However, there are definitely parts of the culture that I do love. The emphasis that the country places on ensuring that the Maori culture is not lost and carries on, for instance. I'm writing this on Thanksgiving (in the States--it's not celebrated here) and I can't help but compare America's policies towards the Native Americans with New Zealand's policies towards the Maori. It is hard to "compare" it, honestly. It really is more of a discussion in contrasts. And while I know that the treatment of the Maori people has been in now way perfect, I see the government of New Zealand accepting that it has made mistakes and taking positive steps to correct them, rather than ignoring it. I am also happy that the recent election (which, in true Kiwi style, took roughly a month to tally the vote for) ended up with a liberal woman becoming the Prime Minister. It did speak volumes to me that in the midst of all the turmoil and politial unrest in the world as well as this general shift towards more conservative-led voting outcomes in other elections that the Kiwis stood up and said "Not us!". It truly is an interesting transitional time to be in New Zealand: I hope that this new regime can really start working on improving the cost of living issues that are rampant in Auckland to improve housing costs and support education.

A list of terms/things I have discovered while living in New Zealand as well as words in English that mean other things in my daily life:

Pavlova: an awesome Kiwi dessert that is like a mixture of angel food cake and sponge cake, but crispy on the outside. Sounds strange, but it's amazing. I like it with whip cream and strawberries on top.

Slice: Basically a dessert bar, but smaller. There are a ridiculous variety of them around here.

Pohutukawa trees: This tree with a red bloom that is everywhere in New Zealand. Blooms at Christmas. The kids sang a song about them at school. Just figured out how to spell it. Finally.

Museli-->Granola. It takes up a majority of the breakfast cereal aisle. I've discovered that I like it with yogurt and honey.

Manuka Honey. I don't know why it's such a big deal, but they feel they need to label it as such. They use it as honey, in supplements and in body products. I see stores advertise it all over the place as an ingredient. Gonna have to look into it.

Rubber-->Eraser

Capsicum-->Bell Pepper

Aubergene-->Eggplant (which just sounds so much fancier, it's made me want to try one. Almost)

Corriander-->Cilantro (so happy I finally figured that one out. Cuz they seriously lack for decent Mexican food around here)

Invigilator-->Proctor (I gave someone a really weird look with they asked if I could invigilate for them. I seriously thought it was something dirty. We had a good laugh)

Push Pin-->Thumbtack (For whatever reason, I could not think of another way to describe these when asking for a thumbtack didn't work. Sigh.)

Tramping-->Hiking (People don't think you are a whore. Or that your whole family is.)

Because of the heavy Kiwi accent, it's common that when someone says the word "deck" it sounds like "dick". It still catches us off guard. Cuz people really love hanging out on the "deck" here. I really am a 12 year old at heart.